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The Truth and Reconciliaton Commission of Canada
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was
established in 2008 to:
• tell Canadians about the history of Indian Residential Schools and
the impacts it had on Aboriginal children who were sent to the
schools by the Canadian government.
• guide a process of reconciliation between and within Aboriginal
families, communities, churches, governments and Canadians.
The Commission is a requirement of the 2007 Indian Residential
School Settlement Agreement, the largest Canadian class action
settlement of its kind, negotiated on behalf of former students,
churches, the Government of Canada, the Assembly of First Nations,
and other Aboriginal organizations.
The TRC has a five-year mandate under the direction of the Chair,
Justice Murray Sinclair, and Commissioners Chief Wilton Littlechild
and Marie Wilson.
Indian Residential Schools
Indian Residential Schools
date back to the 1870s.
The policy behind the
government-funded,
church-run schools was,
as Prime Minister
Stephen Harper stated
in his June 2008
apology to former Indian
Residential School (IRS)
students, to “kill the
Indian in the child”. Over 130 residential schools were located across
the country; the last one closed in 1996.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were taken
from their families and placed in these schools.
While some former students had positive experiences at residential
schools, many suffered emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse.
There are many reports of overcrowding, poor sanitation, unhealthy
and limited diets among students in the schools. Aboriginal children
were often punished for speaking their own language or following
traditional cultural practices.
Rather than attending class, they often had to spend much of their
school day performing the menial labour needed to keep the schools
in operation. There are numerous examples of students running away
from schools and parents raising their concerns over the operation of
the schools.
Many others died while attending these schools. The unresolved
trauma suffered by former students has been passed on from
generation to generation.
IRS survivors from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Québec
The TRC Mandate
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been given a mandate to:
• Create an historical record of the policies
and operations of the former residential
schools.
• Record to the fullest extent possible, the
experiences of the children who attended
the schools, and what former employees
and anyone else impacted by the schools
can recall from their experiences.
• Complete a public report that will include
recommendations to all parties to the
Settlement Agreement.
• Host national events in regions across
Canada to facilitate truthgathering, and to promote awareness
and public education about the residential schools legacy and
its impacts.
• Support a Commemoration Initiative that will fund initiatives that
pay tribute to survivors.
• Support community events designed by communities to meet their
unique needs.
• Establish a national research centre that will be a permanent
resource for all Canadians.
• Foster a process of truth sharing and healing between Aboriginal
peoples and Canadians that will encourage reconciliation and
renewed relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.
Mary Moonias, IRS survivor, Muskwachees Cree Nation, Alberta
Receiving Stories
Former residential school students, their families, communities,
churches, former school employees, and anyone else affected by
residential schools are encouraged to share their experiences with
the TRC.
The TRC will ensure that people can describe their experiences in a
safe, respectful and culturally sensitive way. Participation in any TRC
activity is voluntary.
You may share your residential schools experience through a written
or recorded statement, a private one-on-one interview, in a public
discussion. You may choose to be alone or with any support of your
choice. The TRC will accommodate anyone who wishes to express
themselves through music, art, dance, or other drama formats.
There will be an opportunity to share your experiences, even after
the TRC completes its mandate.
The TRC is not a legal process or a judicial body. It does not have
powers to subpoena anyone and it will not cross-examine anyone.
Reconciliation
The TRC views reconciliation as an ongoing individual and collective
process that will require participation from all those affected by the
residential schools experience. This includes First Nations, Inuit, and
Métis former students, their families, communities, religious entities,
former school employees, government, and the people of Canada.
The TRC hopes to guide Aboriginal peoples and all Canadians
toward reconciliation and renewed relationships based on mutual
understanding and respect.
National Events
The TRC will host seven national events in different regions
across Canada.
The national events will engage the Canadian public and provide
education about the history of the residential schools system, the
experience of former students and their families and the ongoing
legacies of the institutions within communities. The national events
will also be opportunities to celebrate regional diversity and honour
those touched by residential schools.
The national events will be held in the following regions:
Winnipeg, MB, June 2010 Alberta
Inuvik, NT, June 2011 Saskatchewan
Atlantic Quebec
British Columbia
There will be a national closing ceremony in Ottawa.
Community Events
Community events are an important aspect of our mandate. The TRC
will support First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in designing
their own community events. Ultimately, each community knows the
right process for its people and the TRC recognizes that these events
will be as diverse as the individuals and groups that will initiate them.
Commemoration Initiative
The commemoration initiative provides an opportunity to honour,
educate, remember, memorialize and pay tribute to former residential
school students, their families and communities. Separate project
funding of $20 million has been allocated over five years to support
regional and national commemoration projects.
Once the TRC has developed a process for accepting proposals,
it will invite submissions from survivors, their families, communities,
groups and organizations acting on behalf of former students. The
TRC will make funding recommendations to Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada.
Health Supports
The health and safety of participants is of primary importance
and will be reflected in the planning and implementing of all TRC
activities. The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support
Program will be available to participants during and after TRC events.
Emotional support will be provided through a network of Aboriginal
Regional Health Support Workers. Cultural supports will be provided
by Elders. Professional counselling will be delivered by Health Canada
registered service providers. Health Canada will also provide
assistance with transportation costs to access supports if these
are not available in the community. There is a 24-hour toll-free
telephone crisis line available seven days a week: 1-866-925-4419.
The TRC will work closely with Health Canada to ensure that particular
attention is given to those who are elderly, in fragile health and/or
those individuals who may be vulnerable to emotional distress.
Commissioned oil on canvas painting entitled “Indian Residential School” by artist and IRS survivor Alex Janvier, Cold Lake First
Nation, Alberta
MEET THE COMMISSIONERS
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair
Chair
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair was
born and raised in the Selkirk area north
of Winnipeg. Justice Sinclair attended the
Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and
graduated from the University of Manitoba
Faculty of Law in 1979.
He was appointed Associate Chief Judge
of the Provincial Court of Manitoba in March
of 1988 and to the Court of Queen’s Bench
of Manitoba in January 2001. He was
Manitoba’s first Aboriginal judge, and the
second in Canada.
In 1988, Justice Sinclair was appointed Co-Commissioner of the
Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba along with Court of Queen’s
Bench Associate Chief Justice A.C. Hamilton.
He has represented a cross section of clients and is known for his
representation of Aboriginal people and his expertise in Aboriginal
legal issues.
He is a recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and
many other community service awards. He holds three honourary
degrees for his work in the field of Aboriginal justice.
He is married to Katherine Morrisseau-Sinclair, and is the father of
four children.
Marie Wilson
Commissioner
Commissioner Marie Wilson has worked
in cross-cultural environments for almost
forty years both internationally and across
Canada, particularly in the Canadian north.
Throughout her career, Commissioner
Wilson has worked effectively with Aboriginal,
church, and political organizations at the
operational, executive, and political levels.
For 25 years, she worked for the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation in radio and
television as regional and national reporter,
television host, and Regional Director for northern Quebec and the
Northern Territories. As an independent contractor, Ms Wilson has
developed and led complex, community development initiatives with
a national profile. Before becoming a Commissioner, she served as a
senior manager (Vice President of Operations) with a public crown
corporation, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission of
the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Commissioner Wilson is fluently bilingual, holds a Bachelors Degree
with Honours in French Language & Literature, and a Masters degree
in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario.
She has received a “Northerner of the Year” award from the
prominent northern/national newsmagazine and a “Lifetime
Achievement Award” from CBC North. She has received various
awards for documentary and writing excellence. Commissioner Wilson
brings a wealth of skills, experience, and a broad understanding of
residential school issues that will face the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission.
She is married to Stephen Kakfwi, and is the proud mother of
three children.
Chief Wilton Littlechild (Walking Wolf)
Commissioner
In 1976, Chief Wilton Littlechild became the
first Treaty 7 First Nation person to receive
a law degree from the University of Alberta.
He has a Bachelor of Physical Education
Degree (1967) and a Master’s Degree in
Physical Education (1975). In 2007, the
University of Alberta bestowed a Doctor of
Laws Degree upon Chief Littlechild for his
outstanding achievements.
Chief Littlechild is a dedicated promoter
of implementing treaties between Aboriginal
peoples and the Crown. As a pioneer of the global Indigenous rights
movement, he has worked on both the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Organization of American States Draft Americas Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In 2001, Chief Littlechild chaired the Commission on First Nations and
Métis Peoples and Justice Reform in Saskatchewan. The Chiefs of the
Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations appointed him as International
Chief for Treaty 6. He was elected in 2006 as Regional Chief of
Treaties 6, 7, and 8 in Alberta.
In 1988, Chief Littlechild became the first Treaty Indian ever elected
as a member of the Canadian Parliament, serving for five years.
Chief Littlechild has won more than fifty provincial, regional, national,
and international athletic championships. He is a founder of the North
American Indigenous games, and has been inducted into seven Sports
Walls of Fame. Chief Littlechild is honoured to have been selected as a
Torchbearer for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
He is married to Helen Peacock, and is the father of three children.
How You Can Assist the TRC
• Spread the word about the TRC. Read about us on our website at:
www.trc.ca; encourage your friends, family, and neighbours to learn
about this chapter in our shared history.
• Ask your child’s teacher to include the legacy of Indian Residential
Schools in their curriculum. The Legacy of Hope Foundation has
developed an on-line classroom resource for children to learn what
life at residential schools was like for former students and to hear
the voices of survivors. Please see “Where are the Children?” at:
www.wherearethechildren.ca
• Send your thoughts and ideas to the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission: [email protected]
Inuit Children
Contact Us
Telephone: 1 (888) 872-5554
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.trc.ca
Fax: (204) 984-5915
Mail: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
1500-360 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 3Z3
Health Supports
A crisis line is available to provide immediate assistance 24-hours a
day, seven days a week to anyone participating in TRC events.
Toll-Free: 1 (866) 925-4419
Additional information is available through the Heath Canada Indian
Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program.
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/services/indiresident/irs-pi-eng.php
Photos: courtesy of Teresa Buckshot and Fred Cattroll
trc.ca
